Kalanchoe blossfeldiana cultivar Roxy.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Kalanchoe plant, botanically known as Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Roxyxe2x80x99.
The new Kalanchoe is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Odense, Denmark. The objective of the breeding program was to create new early-flowering Kalanchoe cultivars with bright and attractive flower colors and good postproduction longevity.
The new Kalanchoe orginated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Odense, Denmark of two unidentified proprietary selections of Kalanchoe, not patented. The new Kalanchoe was discovered and selected by the Inventor within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Odense, Denmark. The selection of this plant was based on its flower color.
Asexual reproduction of the new Kalanchoe by terminal cuttings taken at Odense, Denmark, by the Inventor, has shown that the unique features of this new Kalanchoe are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Roxy has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Roxyxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Roxyxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact and upright plant habit.
2. Early and freely flowering habit.
3. Red purple-colored flowers.
4. Dark green leaves.
5. Good postproduction longevity.
Plants of the new Kalanchoe differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in flower color.
Plants of the new Kalanchoe can be compared to plants of the cultivar Light Jacqueline, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,268. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Odense, Denmark, plants of the new Kalanchoe differed from plants of the cultivar Light Jacqueline in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Kalanchoe flowered about one to two weeks earlier than plants of the cultivar Light Jacqueline.
2. Plants of the new Kalanchoe were more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Light Jacqueline.
3. Plants of the new Kalanchoe had slightly larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Light Jacqueline.
4. Flower color of plants of the new Kalanchoe was darker red purple than flower color of plants of the cultivar Light Jacqueline.